Life's Not A Fairytale
by XMimiSweetX
Summary: After being reunited, you, Sly, Bentley, and Murray take a quest for new members and the Cooper vault. Along the way, you uncover the rest of your family's secrets hidden in darkness. Sequel to Wonderland, takes place during Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves.
1. Prologue: Just A Dream

**CHYEAH, LIFE'S NOT A FAIRYTALE! FINALLY, the sequel is up! Sorry it took me so long; I've had a rather busy week (at least testing is over). But I've got a three-day weekend (and Spring Break is coming up) which means I'll have plenty of time for writing.**

**Genres: Crime, adventure, romance, drama, family, and friendship**

**Rating: T for sexual content, blood, language**

**Pairings: Sly/You, Penelope/Bentley, one-sided Sly/Carmelita**

**Summary: Takes place during Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. When you're finally reunited with Sly, when you're almost 20, you start a quest to find new members for the Cooper vault. From the jail cells, you uncover the secrets that were buried in the darkness.**

**Your POV:**

_Woke up a little late today,_

_Looking out, the clouds are gray._

_Got no missed phone calls from you._

_Still got your picture by my bed,_

_You're still the one I want instead._

_But I can't find the way to say…_

_Come back,_

_You make up what I lack._

_My pride has left me all alone,_

_It's getting so cold._

_I'm closing the windows to stay warm,_

_There's a chill in my soul since you've been gone._

_The silence is louder than any thunder_

_Taking me under._

_I'm staying home today._

_Gonna hide away,_

'_Cause it feels like rain._

It's been a few months since you woke up, even though it feels like time has just blurred and every day just comes and goes with nothing changing. You're still miserable, still a robot who avoids her (fake) family and friends. Sly 3: Honor Among thieves has been sitting on your nightstand when your dad noticed your sudden interest in Sly Cooper. He's trying to make amends for keeping your family's history from you. You told them you found out everything-you said you didn't know how, but you still knew.

You don't know what to do with that game. You're too scared to find out what happened after you left. You haven't even finished Sly 2 yet-and you were there for about half of that ride. You don't want to find out. You know in your heart that something horrible happened. You feel that agonizing, dreading feeling in your chest.

When you got home, you saw a few messages on your phone. One from each of your friends, expressing condolences and you also had one from Lea, your cousin. She was just asking how you were doing and asked for you to call her back later. But when you call, it just tells you the number is no long in service. You asked your mom, and with a heartbroken expression, she told you that Lea had gone missing. That took you by surprise and made you realize that she had to have been kidnapped and that she was probably murdered. Lea's too loyal; she would never have just left her home and her friends behind, especially not without saying a word.

Time's come and gone. You're out of school; graduated with a 3.6 GPA. When you were with Sly, Bentley, and Murray, you turned 19. Now you've aged up to 20 and you're about to enter college; just not the same one Arianna went to. You can't face her friends, even if it's been more than a little while.

You look around the house. It's late at night, and the people who raised you are fast asleep. It's dark and eerie, even more than usual without Arianna's ray of light to brighten up your bad attitude. You still can't believe she's really dead.

You head back into your room, and just try to focus. Maybe it really was all just a dream-but you keep telling yourself that it wasn't. It was too real.

You're not doing well. They all know something's wrong with you. You've just told all of them that it's because of Arianna, but Raphael knows what total BS that is. You don't even need to tell him for him to know about that distance that was always between you and your adoptive sister.

Thinking about Raphael and how much he's like Sly…your heart lurches. It hurts. You bite your lip, trying to hide the tears. You still can't believe it. You're never gonna see him or Murray or Bentley ever again. You lay down in your bed, head on the pillow, and just try to fall asleep.

_It was two weeks after the day she turned 18._

_All dressed in white,_

_Going to the church that night._

_She had his box of letters in the passenger seat._

_Six pence and a shoe,_

_Something burrowed, something blue._

_And when the church open up wide,_

_She put her veil down trying to hide the tears._

_Oh, she just couldn't believe it._

_She heard the trumpets from the military band,_

_And the flowers fell out of her hand._

_Baby, why'd you leave me?_

_Why'd you have to go?_

_I was countin' on forever,_

_Now I'll never know._

_I can't even breathe._

_It's like I'm lookin' from a distance,_

_Standing in the background._

_Everybody's sayin' "He's not coming home now."_

_This can't be happening to me._

_This is just a dream._

**Sly's POV:**

_I was thinkin' 'bout you,_

_Thinkin' 'bout me,_

_Thinkin' 'bout us._

_What we gonna be?_

_Open my eyes, _

_It was only just a dream._

_Travel back,_

_Down that road,_

_Will you come back?_

_No one knows._

_I realize,_

"_It was only just a dream."_

_I was at the top, _

_Now it's like I'm in the basement._

_Number one spot,_

_Now she found her own replacement._

_I swear now that I can't take it,_

_Knowing somebody's got my baby._

_Now you ain't around,_

_Baby, I can't think._

_I Should've put it down,_

_Should've got that ring._

'_Cause I still feel it in the air,_

_See your pretty face, run my fingers through your hair._

_My lover, my life,_

_My baby, my wife._

It's been months since you last saw Cerlie; months ago, you heard her scream and went to the Contessa's tower to only find her blood. Between then, taking out the rest of the Klaww gang and finally ridding the world of Clockwerk, Murray's left and now it's just you and Bentley. In not even a few months, you've lost your childhood friend and Cerlie.

You didn't find her body, so she might still be alive-and you think she is. You don't know how to explain it, but you feel like Cerlie's just waiting to come home, and when she does, you're never letting go of her again. But she's going to be so heartbroken when she finds out that Murray went out on his own-out of self-blame for what happened to Bentley. Bentley lost his legs when you went up against Clock-La. Thinking about everything that happened, you've got a lot of explaining to do for Cerlie when she comes back-if she does.

You could never get over Cerlie. You used to think that Carmelita was the one for you, but she's not. She's too obsessed with her work. And besides, like it would ever work. She'd be clinging, jealous, and possessive. Cerlie would trust you, and that trust would be well-placed. Cerlie's the one for you, you know she is. All you need to do is wait for her, for as long as you have to.

You're just getting a little tired of waking up every day-without her- and realizing it wasn't just a dream.

**Cool, it's actually five pages. I know it's short (and kinda crappy) but I promise it will get better! Next chapter is going to be AMAZING! They REUNITE! You're gonna love it, I promise you that!**

**Bye!**

**~Mimi**


	2. Chapter 1: Kissing In The Rain

**Yaaaay, new chapter of Life's Not A Fairytale! I'm so excited. This chapter is gonna be so amazing! This chapter is for ChocolateMilkLOL and escamval13 for their reviews and alerts and alaxbird and LegoSlyCooper for their alerts. Thanks a bunch. C: So, enough talk, let's read this chapter, k? They finally reunite! **

**Your POV:**

You wake up feeling numb-actually, you can't really feel anything. You move your hand and then feeling comes rushing back, and that's when you register that you're not sleeping in your bed. You touch the side of whatever it is, and you realize you were sleeping on a bench. Were you sleepwalking again? You groan and you sit up, the light from the streetlamp hurting your eyes. After they adjust, you look around. Your heart stops, and then violently rams inside your ribcage.

Everything is animated. And in the distance, you see the familiar lights of the tower. You pinch yourself to make sure it's not just a dream. You feel a sting on the skin. It's not just a dream!

You race off the bench and look at your hands. You're covered in fur. You head down the street, towards the Eiffel tower (remembering the hideout is on the other side of it from where you are). Even if they aren't there, all you'd have to do is wait. You remember the key being on the roof. You feel something wet hide your head, and then it starts to rain. It's light at first, but then it really begins to pour.

In a few minutes, you hear footsteps that start out as walking, and then they stop. At first, you believe they've reached their home until you hear them pick up again. This time, they're running, and they're getting louder-which means, they're running towards you. You panic, feeling a wave of fear come over you, and you outrun them.

Your heart beats even faster and your lungs and legs soon begin to burn, and your breathing gets rougher. He's getting closer. You don't even want to think about what he wants from you-you don't stop. You keep going until you hear a voice from behind you.

"_Cerlie!"_

You skid to a stop and almost fall on your face. You turn, and you see someone you thought you would never see again.

It's Sly.

"Sly?"

You lock eyes-it's defiantly him. No one else has eyes that brown. Neither of you say a word for a moment, before you find yourself in Sly's arms. You wrap your arms around your neck as he lifts you up and tilts his head. It takes you a second to register what's happening. You're kissing Sly. You don't protest; you just take his face in your hand and kiss him back. You break away for just a second. "I missed you." You murmur.

"Not as much as I missed you."

You stay that way for what seems like only seconds, but is really almost 15 minutes. He puts you down. "We need to get back to the hideout."

You nod, as both of you are completely soaked. You're almost 100% you're going to get sick if you don't get out of the rain soon. You and Sly turn down the sidewalk, his arm around your waist and you gripping his shirt, your feet splashing the puddles and sending water in every direction.

When you come across the hideout, you burst open the door and a startled Bentley stares at you. "Cerlie…?" He starts.

You smile and nod. "Bentley." You're really home. You finally have your friends back, and that hole in your heart is finally filled.

But why's Bentley in that wheelchair?

…

You and Sly changed clothes, since they kept your extra skinny jeans and shirts while you were gone. You take the scissors and cut your hair so it's back to shoulder-length. You look around in all of the rooms, but you can't find Murray. Bentley's already gone to bed. You're in Sly's room, sitting next to him on the bed. "Sly," You ask. "What happened while I was gone? Did you guys get the Clockwerk parts?"

He nods. "Yeah. All of the Klaww gang members are behind bars." He's quiet for a minute. "And Neyla's gone for good." Seeing your face, he begins to explain.

He tells you about how they managed to get the Contessa in jail, and took down Sean Bison and shut down all the spice operations in Canada. It turns Arpeggio was behind it all, tricking you into getting all of the Clockwerk parts to create a new body for him. Only, Neyla stabbed him in the back (she was actually his protégé) and took the Clockwerk frame for herself and became Clock-La. With Carmelita's help, they finally destroyed Clockwerk forever. Sly almost ended up in prison, but thanks to Bentley and Murray, he escaped before they even reached the police station.

"Sly, where is Murray?" You ask. "And why's Bentley in that wheelchair?"

He looks down and sighs. "Bentley was injured after the battle with Clock-La. He can't walk anymore." Your heart hurts. "Murray blamed himself, and he said he wanted to find his spiritual center. He left a few months ago."

You bite your lip and a wave of guilt washes over you. "I'm sorry, Sly. Maybe if I had been there, I could've done something."

He kisses you. "Don't say that. It wasn't your fault-and what happened to you, anyway?"

You shrug. "I dunno. I just…I got attacked on the Contessa's tower, and when I woke up, I was in the hospital…with my parents."

"And?"

You shrug. "And that's it."

He smirks. "You didn't fall in love with anyone else?"

You roll your eyes and toss a pillow at him.

**I love this chapter. I'm seriously happy with it; I think it's amazing, even it's only three pages and less than 1,000 words!**

**See you!**

**~Mimi**


	3. Chapter 2: The Rogues and the Rebels

**Omfg, I'm so sorry. This chapter is like three months apart from the last one. But here it is. I'll try hard not to let this happen again. I've just been so distracted and busy lately…I blame that new PS3 my dad put in my room. And I also blame the Jak and Daxter collection. I finally beat Jak 3!**

**Your POV:**

You wake up the next night (since you guys still sleep during the day) in Sly's bed (which is kinda your bed too). How could you let this happen? Bentley's ability to walk is gone, and Murray's gone. If you had been there-_if you had done something_-if you hadn't been stupid enough to turn your back on the enemy-_standing way too close to the edge_-none of it would've happened. God, you can barely look Sly in the eye, and you can't even do the same with Bentley. You and Bentley's friendship has always been…rocky…and now, even more so. God, what have you done? Actually…what's more important is what you didn't do.

You sigh, getting that low feeling of self-hatred, so you turn over on your side, and hold onto Sly.

You really would go crazy without him, wouldn't you? You're amazed you didn't in all those months without him. You did get approached by a couple of guys, but you wouldn't look twice at them. You're pretty sure they just felt sorry for you anyway. You did get a pity party, which seriously amazed you because almost no one in your school actually liked you-not that you actually bothered going.

You let out a tiny squeak when you feel something around your waist, and only when you hear an amused chuckle do you realize it's Sly.

Jackass.

"Morning," He says. You sit up and grab a pillow, hitting him with it. He laughs, and the both of you climb out of it and get dressed (as in, change out of your pajamas), Sly zipping up the back of your shirt.

You go into the kitchen, and you find Bentley already there and breakfast is done. Waffles and bacon, yum.

"Good morning," Bentley says, giving you that superior, "I-know-everything" look he'd give you all the time before you disappeared. You yawn, and get a glass of milk. It really is good to be back. Bentley's a way better cook than Abigail. You stopped calling her mom.

"So, Cerlie," Bentley asks. You look up, rather afraid of the conversation. God, you don't wanna hear about the accident. You already feel terrible and guilty-"I'm curious to know. What happened between you and your…parents?" You almost fall out of the chair. That's what he wanted to talk about? That? Jesus, he scared the shit out of you!

Well, you dodged a bomb there…heh, punny. "Well…" You start, remembering the very, very unpleasant conversation that you had with your adoptive parents. "It wasn't pleasant. I told them I knew the truth, and they just…fessed up." You didn't explain how-they actually didn't ask, thank God-but they told you everything. You still can't believe you spent your entire life being in the system. "Told me about me and my sister, Arianna; she was adopted too."

"I'm sorry, Cerlie." Bentley says. Not nearly as sorry as you. You still don't know how you feel about Arianna's death.

You continue breakfast in silence, until you hear something going at the window. You turn your heard, and you see that it's a…pigeon? People still use courier pigeons? It looks like, because there's a piece of paper tied to its leg. You turn to Sly and Bentley, they nod, and you open the window. The pretty bird flies onto the table, flutters its wings, and you take the message off its leg. You roll it open, and you see that it's addressed to Sly. "It's for you," You say, handing it over to him.

**Sly's POV:**

You raise an eyebrow and take the note. It's…pretty unusual. Whenever one of your old "friends" wants one of those favors you owe them, they just send you an email or they'd send a person. You don't know anybody who could use a pigeon. You unroll the paper, and read it out loud.

_Dear Sly Cooper,_

_This is McSweany. I don't think you know too much about me, but I know you. I was in your father's crew back in our heyday. I'm sorry about Connor. But there is an important matter we need to discuss. Meet me in the prison you put the Klaww Gang and the Fiendish Five in._

_-McSweany_

**Your POV:**

"Connor?" You ask.

"My father." Sly explains, still eying the note, probably not sure if he should believe it or not. Connor was the name of Sly's father? Man, you picked one hell of an alias back at Rajan's party…but that's not important right now. What's important is that somebody who claims to have known Sly's dad wants to talk to Sly…but what if it's just the Fiendish Five and/or the Klaww gang wanting to get back at him?

"Are you gonna go?" You ask.

Sly nods. "I have to. If this guy really did know my father, I should hear what he has to say."

"It might be a trap." Bentley says.

You stand up. "I'm going with you. McSweany never said for you to come alone." You turn to the turtle. "Are you in, Bentley?"

He looks at the two of you, and sighs. You smile, and get your stuff, zipping up your jacket. Blonde fur still doesn't blend in…maybe you should dye it.

…

So this is the prison that holds the people that Clockwerk worked with. You still don't know why he went after your parents…or why he left you live. Clockwerk's gone, so maybe the Fiendish Five can help you…if you're…persuasive enough. And you should give the Contessa a hello. After all, it was all because of her you got separated from Sly and Bentley in the first place. But you can't get Clockwerk out of your head. He's gone-forever this time-but the legacy, the impression, and the devastation and misery he caused will last until the Cooper clan ceases to exist. And that won't be soon.

Standing outside the prison near the barred windows, dressed in black pants, sneakers and a black hoodie with the hood pulled over your face where you can see but no one can see your eyes, there are spotlights, guard dogs, and guards. Sly smiles. "You know, usually thieves try to break out of a prison, not into one."

You grin. "Well, we're exceptions."

You look through the window. You can see Sir Raleigh and a few cells down Mz. Ruby. You don't see Muggshot or the Panda King. That…might not be good. Looking into another window, you spot the Contessa and Rajan. No Jean Bison or Dimitri. You just hope they're in other cells, because now you've got only a small chance of why Clockwerk went after your parents. You bite your lip. "We need to move." Standing still can be lethal.

Sly pops open the skylight with his cane, and you follow him inside. You have a score to settle with the Fiendish Five. You see Raleigh first.

He doesn't look happy to see you. "Sly Cooper," He growls. He looks at you, and narrows his eyes. "And you made a new friend."

"Who've you also done wrong to." You remind him. He raises an eyebrow at you. He probably doesn't recognize you. Before he can speak, you pull back your hood. "Do you know who I am?"

It takes a few minutes, but then realization dawns on him. "Ah, you're a Noukhayev. I see. Clockwerk mentioned your family name a few times. I dare say, someone in your family did something to aggravate him somethin' fierce."

"Yes, but what?" You demand. "Clockwerk murdered my parents. I need to know why."

"He mentioned your family, but he never said why he wanted your bloodline wiped out. And I don't know why your family survived either." He answers your question before you can ask it. "Muggshot isn't here, but Mz. Ruby is. Try and speak to her."

You flip him off, and walk away, not bothering to put your hood back on.

You head up the staircase, mindful of the guards, though you knew Raleigh wouldn't tattle. The last thing he wants is Sly in prison, where Sly could beat him up on a daily basis. And what charges could they get you on, anyway?

You head to the voodoo priestess herself. She speaks with that funny accent of hers. "Well, I heard that conversation you just had with that froggie."

You glare. "Then you know why I'm here. You worked with the man who murdered my parents. Now, I need to know why, and why I lived."

She shakes her head, giving you a little tsk tsk tsk. "So sorry, but I don't know either which. You're gonna have to talk to the Panda King. He was Clockwerk's right hand man, and second in command."

You raise an eyebrow. You did pay a lot of the attention to the games, but…you never heard of the Panda King being so close to Clockwerk. "So, where is he?"

"Wouldn't tell you even if I knew."

You roll your eyes, and move along. You tap into your ear piece, since that's easier to work with than your binocucom. "No dice, Bentley. The Panda King is the only one who knows, and he and Muggshot aren't even here."

"_That's right."_ Bentley growled, obviously displeased at himself more than anything else. _"I forgot. I read about Muggshot breaking out of prison a couple of months ago."_

You shake your head. "Doesn't matter now. We need to find McSweany and then get out of here." So far, this risky and dangerous trip isn't helping you. No new information, except that the Panda King knows what you want to know, only no one has any idea where he is. At this rate, you might never know why your parents were murdered or why you were allowed to live.

"_I got his cell number. It's 3117B."_

You smile. "Thanks Bentley. Let's go, Sly."

3114B, 3115B, 3116B…

You tap on the bars, and the guy sitting on the bench looks your way. He's a light purple, bald walrus, with one of his tusks being broken in half, and his torso and arms are covered in tattoos. He just wears a pair of jeans. "You McSweany?" Sly asks.

"I am. So you're Sly, then. Who's the girl?"

"Cerlie Noukhayev."

That gets his attention. "So a family friend, then. The Noukhayevs and the Coopers worked side by side for centuries."

"Until Clockwerk wiped my family out." You mutter bitterly.

"I truly am sorry."

You shake your head. "It's okay. But…McSweany, why did you call us here? To get you out of jail?" You smirk, remembering how easy it was to bust Sly and Murray out of prison. "Because it can be done."

He shakes his head, which doe take you be surprise. "Escape from prison is not my intent. I have an important matter to discuss."

You raise an eyebrow and turn up the dial on your earpiece so Bentley can hear. "We're listening." You feel Sly's hand on your back, and you feel a bit better, a little less tense.

"On an island, there is a vault, Sly, that's owned by your family-the Cooper vault. It's filled with the treasures your ancestors have collected over the years, and you're the only one with access to it."

Wow. That's gotta be a lot of treasure. You did read about Thieves in Time online, something about Bentley building a time machine so the Cooper gang can find the missing pages of the Thievius Raccoonus, but that's about all you got. You didn't read anything about Sly's ancestors or any of that. And now you wish you had. You wish you had played Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves so you actually knew what was going to happen, but you didn't. So now you need to deal with what you got.

"Thanks McSweany." You say. "And really, if you suddenly wanna get out of prison, just contact us again. We've done prison breaks before." You smile, being reminded once again of the fond memory. You wave goodbye, and head down the prison, looking for the way out that Bentley pointed out to you.

You find a familiar spider, dressed in red. You smirk. "Contessa."

She narrows her pupil-less eyes, and says, "Cerlie. Sly."

"How's prison? Not so nice when you're the one behind bars, is it?" Sly grins. She doesn't say a word.

She caused you a lot of trouble. All you really want to do is punch her in the face a few time, for what she did to Murray, to Bentley, to Sly, and to you. But you can't. You'll get caught. So you and Sly just turn away and go head back to the hideout.

**OH WTF. Finally, I updated! I'm so sorry about the long-ass update. But at least it's not like 800 words. It's over 2000 and over 5 pages long. So it's a decent update. And Lost Inside the Forest (sequel to Life's Not A Fairytale) will be coming in the fall, the release of Sly 4: Thieves in Time. So yeah. There you go. C:**


	4. Chapter 3: Take Me to Wonderland

**Yeah, new chapter of Life's Not A Fairytale! Now it's time for the plot to really start. Just wait until we get to China! ;D So, here we start at Venice, Italy, which is my second favorite level in Sly 3. Yeah for reunion! So yeah, sorry 'bout the wait. I know it's been a long while.**

**Chapter IV: Take Me to Wonderland**

Getting past a world-class vault would take world-class thieves-a group of specialists, each member contributing their own particular talent. It was clear that you needed Murray back. Not only were you missing a friend-the first person to truly make you feel welcome here-and Sly and Bentley were missing a lifelong friend, but Murray's brute strength had gotten you out of more than a few scraps in the past.

After Bentley got injured during the whole Clockwerk thing, Murray blamed himself and eventually, he left the team. Sly and Bentley tried to talk to him, but going out on his own was something he needed to do. The three of you got word that he ended up in the Australian outback, where he studied a mystic art called The Dreamtime from a guru. Now where have you heard that before?

From all accounts, things went pretty well. His teacher even sent him on a walkabout to locations all over the globe to complete the training. Recent sightings report that Murray is in Venice, Italy. Looks like fun; you've always wanted to go to Venice-and hopefully, not fall in one of the canals. You can swim, but not as well as you used to with the whole mouse-body thing.

However, down in Venice, there's this mob boss Don Octavio. He's a really talented Opera singer, and supposedly, he was gonna be the next great tenner (whatever that means, not like you have any idea) but just when his career was taking off, musical taste changed. Suddenly, it was all about rock, and nobody wanted to listen to opera anymore. You can't say you blame anybody; Abigail loves opera, and you went to some shows together for some "mother-daughter" bonding. Now you see just how that was really pointless…but at least it made her happy.

But Octavio did hold onto a few fans, and it was those mobsters who took him into "the business".

You turn the corner around the canal; you guys need to make it to the safehouse first. It's like a little apartment, near the center of the city. You see these big dogs wearing bird masks patrolling the streets with flashlights. They must work for Octavio. You blink, staring at the streets. There aren't any people around. People must be scared of this guy.

You stay low, and off the rooftops-they're covered with goons too, cats and birds. Hey, look at that-the food chain. Bird, cat, dog.

You meet up with Sly and Bentley, and you duck into the house, just as a guard with a flashlight comes by. You smile, kicking your feet up. "You know, I've always wanted to go to Venice."

"Don't get too comfy," Bentley says, hooking up his laptop. "We need to start looking for Murray."

You nod, swinging yourself off. "Okay. Where to first?"

"The police department. Giving Murray's criminal history, it's logical to start there." You nod, but you can't help but be a bit doubtful. After all, Carmelita's always chasing Sly, not Murray. Hell, the only reason she would ever even bother with me is to get to Sly. "Even if he's not already in custody, the police should have records about all the crooks in Venice."

You nod. "Right." You grab your bow, and open the door.

"Be careful." Sly says, playing with his hat.

You smile. "Aren't I always?"

"Not really, no."

You just roll your eyes, and close the door behind you.

Being a rodent, you can squeeze through tighter spaces that Sly, and…you've just got a lot less to risk. You're not sure how much of a record you have, if you even have one at all. You head out to the little pier, the one next to the bridge. Bentley set up your holographic marker there. It's purple, and it looks kind of like Sly's, but more rounded. You use your binocucom.

"_That massive dome marks the Venetian police station_." Bentley says. The police station here is a white dome, with a little golden tower and a square building.

"Wow, the Italians are more flamboyant than the French." You remark. You've seen the police station in Paris. It's not as decorative.

"_I'm afraid it's a losing battle. Don Octavio runs the show in this neighborhood. It's his 'security forces' patrolling the streets. Not the cops_."

"Hm." You mutter. "Not sure if that makes this easier, or more difficult." You zoom in a little on the small tower on the top of the dome. That must be the ventilation. "Looks like I got my way inside."

"That dome is covered in glazed tile. There's no way to climb up there."

However, there is a rope attached. "Oh, don't worry about that, Bentley. There's always a way. One just has to look for it."

You hang up, and go to silence. You can't do the spire jump like Sly can, but you can do something he can't, and it's ended up being way more useful to than landing on small points.

You can swim.

You quietly slip in, climb up to the little gondola, and grab a hold of the rope. You shimmy across, mindful of your arrows, and head up to the entrance. "_Nice climbing, partner. I got the blueprints to the ventilation shaft right here. I should be able to guide you to the jail cell_." You gently lower yourself in, and you're thankful for your tiny size, otherwise you and your quiver wouldn't fit.

After listening to Bentley telling you to take lefts and rights and keeping going straight, you drop down. You see some shape in the corner of the cell. "Murray, big guy, is that you?"

"Murray…" A voice scratches at your ears. You see a puff of smoke. Oh no, that's not… "That name's a stain on my pants, babe." Ew. When Sly calls you babe, it's different. "Whuh?" He says as he turns around. He's still dressed in a tacky green snakeskin shirt, and even in jail, he smokes cigars. He crosses his arms over his chest. "Noukhayev! You've got some fuzzy dice to come 'round here."

"Dimitri," You say lowly. "Well, I still you're still in jail." They must've transferred him to Venice for some reason…French prison too full?

"And you still a ratty-tat tramp."

"And you still speak broken English. And I'm a dormouse," You shake your head slightly. "Not a rat. Anyway, how about we skip the name-calling and get down to business?"

"Looking for your main-man Murray, eh?"

"Sly's my main man."

He scoffs. "Sorry, but I'd rather see you get busted big time." Shit. "Guard!" He yells. "Politzia!"

"Wait," You say. "Let's make a deal. I bust you out of here, and you help me find Murray."

"You might get this cell door open," He scowls. "But the cops would throw down and bust me on the way out. And then I'll get the double sentence. Grief!" He cries.

You know he's right. Just a few feet from you, there's a room crawling with cops. You think you can hear Carmelita's voice. Well, it looks like Carmelita got another change in voice actors. "Well, how about this: I'll distract the cops, then run for it." You know Carmelita won't be able to resist shooting you. "Once I've got their attention, you can sneak out the front door no problem."

"Now that's a plan I can get behind! Dimitri is free, and Cerlie is cooked!" Wow, he actually knows your first name. "Key for cell is in head cop lady's office." He says.

"Alright." You say, nodding. You look at the combo lock. You've cracked those before. "This other lock shouldn't be a problem. I should be able to crack it by hand."

Dimitri points to the ground. "Get me out of here, and I'll find Murray, no sweat. Just keep on the down low and outta sight near them coppers, girl. They're a bad bunch of bunnies."

You nod, ducking under the table and slithering on the floor like a snake. From the light of the projector, you see it's definitely Carmelita. She's…doing something on Octavio? "Your attention, police. I thank you for your patience, but we're now ready for the presentation."

You crawl into the office so you can whisper to Bentley. "Bentley, are you hearing this?"

"_Yeah, I'm hearing it_."

Carmelita continues. "As we all know, the canals of Venice have been mysteriously filling with tar for the last month." You see images of pipes filling the water with black tar. "No one is sure of the cause, but the effects have been devastating to the local wildlife and touristy. Our sources believe that this man, Don Octavio, is potentially responsible for the disaster." So, Octavio's a lion. He wears a mask, sort of like _The Phantom of the Opera_. "Unfortunately, we've got no hard evidence linking him to the pollution." You scoff. "I've yet to receive a warrant to search his opera house mansion, so we're just going to have to do this the old-fashion way. Get out there, and keep your eyes open. I've hired you mercenaries over traditional cops because this is a dangerous assignment. The neighborhood is filled with the Octavio goons. It's a war out there. Get tough, or you won't last five minutes, you hear me? I'm paying for results. The city of Venice needs this situation resolved now." She takes a breath. "Okay, I know you boys like things redundant, so I'm going to give you the presentation again. This time, pay attention! You're not getting paid to nap. Just let me get my note guards back in order." You roll your eyes, and look around her office.

There's a little billboard of pictures of Sly. You let out a small groan. She has to bring her obsession with her everywhere she goes, doesn't she? You spy a little purple marker on her desk. You smile and leave a little message on one of the photos.

_He's mine._

She'll know who it's from.

You see the key on a little table and swipe it. "_Nice work_." Bentley says. "_Head back to Dimitri's cell and free him. If he's true to his word, we'll be talking to Murray in no time_."

The lights flicker on, and you mutter a curse.

Carmelita looks at the notes on her podium. "Let's get back to business." Then the lights flicker, and shut off. "Hold tight, boys. The power's on the fritz again. It'll calm down in a few minutes."

"You'd better make sure you're under a desk when the lights come back on."

You nod, and crawl out. You head straight for another desk when the lights spark, and then switch on. "You look better in the dark, Petro." One of the men say. "Really, you are un ugly, ugly man."

The lights go off again, and you make a break for another table. One of the other guards groan. "On, off, on, off."

When the lights go off again, you bolt for Dimitri's cell. You use the key, and the first lock pops right off. Dimitri looks you at you skeptically. "Can you really crack this coconut?"

You smile. "Of course."

"Cool, cool. Let's see some shine, girl." Okay, did he seriously learn English from music videos? "I swear, you spring me, and I'll hook you up with that plump dog Murray, dig?"

"Got it." You fiddle with the lock; you need to feel for a vibration. That will tell you what the numbers are when you pass them. It takes a few minutes, but you get it open.

As he gets out of the cell you say, "I'll do like I promised, and distract the cops so you can get out of here."

"Solid! Don't worry no mind, straight way I'll pass for Murray to find you. Meet at Rialto Bridge, big Italian landmark."

You nod. "Alright. Guess it's showtime." You smile, and run out towards the center of the room. "Hello assorted meatheads! And crazy bitch. Anybody up for some exercise?"

Carmelita's ears press to the side of her skull, and she narrows her eyes. "Grab her, men!"

You flick your middle finger and bust out the back door. She pulls the trigger on her shock pistol and you stop. She growls at you. "You've got some nerve showing up in my squad room."

You smile. "Yeah, I wanted to see if you still had that obsession with my boyfriend. I don't like having competition."

She fires at you again, in either rage or jealousy or hurt-well, actually, probably all of the above-and you start running down the line, have to go in the water occasionally as even Carmelita isn't stupid enough to risk electrocuting what's left of the wildlife, until you come back onto land.

"Quit your running and let me slap the cuffs on you!" Carmelita shouts as she continues to fire at you.

Then, something pops out of the manhole, and…it's Murray! Well, he's got white body paint on him, and a clock and a tooth necklace. "Greetings, old-" His eyes bulge out of his skull when he almost gets hit with a shock bullet. "Inspector Fox!? Man, you're in it this time!"

"Hope that manhole works both ways!" You jump in, and he follows you.

Before you head too far down, you hear Carmelita yell, "That's right! Hide in the sewers like the rat you are!"

"I'm a mouse." You grumble as you and Murray head through the sewers and then pop up back to the surface through a manhole. You smile. "Good to see you pal. And thanks for the escape route. I owe you…again."

"Of course, searcher. We are all in need of peace." As…weird as that sounds, especially coming from Murray…you wouldn't mind some "inner peace."

You remember what Bentley and Sly told you. "You're really whole-hog on this Dreamtime stuff, huh?"

"My mind is clear, like the woodland after a forest fire." That's a terribly worded metaphor.

"Listen Murray," You begin. "We need you back on the team. That…" You sigh. "Thing with Bentley…it wasn't your fault. He doesn't blame you for the wheelchair, no one does."

"Sorry CC. I walk a different path. My Guru, in his wisdom, told me to lose myself, and not return until the black water ran pure." He explains. "Here, I stay."

You blink. "Okay, quit talking like Yoda. Besides, I don't see what you can do about the 'black water' unless you change the filter."

"Come on!" Murray shouts. "I'm on a real spirit quest here!"

"Sorry," You say quickly. "I'm sorry. So…tell me everything. I missed ya, pal." More than he could possibly imagine.

"Well, it's a long and awesome story…you got any gum?"

You laugh, and get a pack of bubblegum out of your pocket.

**Honestly, I'm stunned by how many reviews this story has. It's only four chapters long now, but it's already got 15 reviews. And I haven't even updated in FOREVER. And you have Keyblades of Oblivion to thank for this update. She's the one who really wanted it.**

**See you next time!**

**~Mimi**


	5. Chapter 4: Family, Favors, and the Mob

**Here's the new chapter of Life's Not A Fairytale. I know, I've been updating like crazy lately. And not even just this series. I finally updated A New Face Volume I, Born To Be Brave, and…a couple others, even Pretty Girl. **

**Chapter V: Family, Favors, and the Mob**

"Murray's turned into a hippie." You say, coming in through the door with Bentley. Sly looks up at you, a confused look on his face. "Murray, Bentley, and I took out the tar pumps and everything, but for God's sake, he insisted on not hurting anybody." You let out a frustrated sigh as you plop on the couch. That's certainly not the Murray you know. The one you know would smash skulls like you did when you took down Dimitri back in Paris.

Paris.

Man, you've always wanted to see Venice, but…now you're just getting homesick. You sigh. "I miss Paris. And I miss Murray."

Sly pats you on the head. "I know, baby, I know."

"She's right." Bentley says, rolling up to his computer. "Murray still thinks it's his fault, and he won't listen to otherwise."

"Well, we gotta do something," You say. "I swear, this Guru of his brainwashed him or somethin'."

"Come on Cerlie," Bentley says, typing something. He rolls around to face you. "You gotta think positive." You give him a look that says "Have you met me?" and he replies with, "Well…you should try to, at least. Now, come on, we got another mission to do."

You sigh and nod, and follow them back out the door. You duck the guards with Sly right behind you, and slide up to a window shutter with a firework on it. Bentley goes in through door and the window pops open. "I've taken over this Carnivale stand as a base of operations for our next job. We need to take out the sign and balloons advertising Octavio's big comeback recital."

Sly gives a nod. "I hear ya. If no one shows for him to extort his "building sinking" scheme, then why would he bother with the demonstration? Excavating all that tar seems like a big operation. You'd think he'd hold off until he had an audience." You shrug.

"Exactly." Bentley fiddles around with something behind the counter, and then continues with his plan. "Now I've cobbled together a few explosives powerful enough to destroy the anchors to those balloons. Unfortunately, I'm a little short on fuses." You don't like where this is going.

"Then…I'll be quick." What? You don't even know what's happening when out of nowhere, Sly's got a bomb on his back and he's sprinting away.

"Bentley," You snap. "You strapped a bomb to my boyfriend's _back_?!"

You get all up in his face and he says, "Cerlie, he'll be fine. This is Sly we're talking about." He pats your shoulder in an attempt to calm you down.

Only, you don't calm down. No, your heartbeat just keeps speeding up and it almost explodes once you hear the bomb go off and it doesn't get back to normal until you see Sly come running back and a balloon with Octavio's face on it flying away. He smiles. "See? Nothing to worry about. But, man, that explosive had some kick."

"It was a child compared to this ferocious beast!" Bentley is…a little too excited about that. "Don't dilly-dally with this one. It's got a longer fuse, but you've got farther to run."

"'Ferocious' beast?" Sly laughs.

"Run, Sly, run! Fear the beast!"

While Sly speeds off with another bomb on his back, and your heart doing the same pattern it did last time, you turn to Bentley and say, "You know Bentley, you can tell me if you're a pyro." He stutters and begins to say a reply when you laugh and say, "The cops will just have to add arson to your record."

"Like they added 'assault with a deadly weapon' on yours?" You flick him a rude gesture with your middle finger.

"How is a bow and arrow a deadly weapon?" You shout, eyes flickering across the ground and then, it hits you. Carmelita. Man, that bitch does hate you, doesn't she? Hm, maybe you lodged an arrow in somebody's knee and didn't even realize it. Another explosion shakes the ground.

"A-ha!" Bentley says, looking triumphant like Superman. "Behold stage two! The balloon, carried by the wind, will impact on the Octavio sign! The combustible gases in the balloon will ignite and…BAM!" Your eyes reflexively press against your skull and you wince. You're still not used to having mouse-ears again. "Hindenburg part two!"

"You're a nerd, Bentley." You say. He narrows his eyes up at you, and then you see the balloon catch on the sign. "Bentley," You point at it, like Kairi near the end of Kingdom Hearts II.

"Drat, and curses," You'd tell Bentley he can really curse (it's just you, after all), but now doesn't seem like the best time. "The wind died! The balloon's caught! Sorry, pal. See if you can climb up and knock the balloon free. I'll start putting together another explosive for the sign. Such a shame. I was really looking forward to see that balloon burn."

"Pyro." You laugh.

"It would've been a fascinating chemical reaction!" He argues, as you can see a little shape ascend the tower the balloon is latched onto. You see Sly latch onto the arm, and then it falls, breaking, and he climbs up a little higher to the face. "A solid blow from your cane should dislodge the balloon."

You don't hear the footsteps as you and Bentley marvel at the exploding sign as half of it falls to the ground, and the rest of it explodes off, bit by bit. "Wow," Bentley says. "Looks like we got a new ferocious beast on this operation." Somebody taps on the door, and Bentley says, "Sorry, sir, we're closed-" You turn and you see…

It's Octavio!

"Shit!" You shout, loading your bow. You get him right in the arm, and he lets out a little yell of pain, but it doesn't stop him from breaking down the door.

"Sly, get back here, now!" You shout.

"Sly? Where are you? Please, help!"

Octavio pushes you out of the way, and grabs Bentley, holding him by the wheelchair above his head. Sly rounds the corner and you stand next to him with a loaded bow. The arrow you shot is still sticking out of Octavio's arm.

"Ah, Sly Cooper. My boy on the inside picked up those pictures of me you sent to the cops." His accent is a little thick. "Nice try, but I own this here town!"

"Put our friend down, or we're gonna knock out all of your teeth, one at a time, and make you eat 'em." Sly threatens.

"I'mma put an arrow in ya knee!" You yell, closing one eye and aiming near his shin.

The lion stares at you, and from how wide his eyes are, you can tell there's a look of bewilderment on his face. "Little Cerlie?" He questions.

You're stunned. So much so that you drop your arrow and bow. "How do you know my name?" It's not just that he knows it, it's the way he said it. Little Cerlie? What is that supposed to even mean?

"Cerlie Noukhayev." He says. "I'm a friend of your father's." He says.

"You mean was." You say. He stares at you, and then you reply with, "He's dead."

"I see." He looks at you, then Sly, and then up at Bentley. "I owed your father a few favors." He says. "And if he's dead, and you are his daughter, then…I owe you those favors."

"Then put my friend down." You snap. He obliges. "My father may be dead, Octavio, and I may never have known him, but I know we had rules. We don't hurt people unless they owe us money. And what you're doing is going to hurt a lot of people."

"Bah, what do you know? You don't the ways of the mob." Octavio spats. "This isn't over, not by a long shot!" He sings, and you just turn away as he runs off.

You and Sly just glare at him and then Sly turns to your brainy friend. "You okay, Bentley?"

"I'm fine." Good thing he was wearing that helmet. "My ego's bruised, but it'll heal."

You sigh. "Let's get out of here before somebody shows up. My head is screaming." You're thrown back with a little yell of surprise as a bullet hits the ground, just an inch from your foot and it startles the others. You land on your butt as a big Rottweiler in a mask stands over you. "You gotta a problem with us, pal?" You stand up, with an arrow ready, and you know you can take this guy. He may be big, but you've got Sly and Bentley with you!

"Cerlie?" The dog questions, and for the second time that day, your arrow hits the ground.

"That voice…" You mutter.

"_Raphael_?"

**DRAMA BOMB! Yeah, here comes the fun part! Fun, fun, fun. Yeah, now it's getting good! How many of you saw that coming? Either part, really.**

**See you soon!**

**~Mimi**


	6. Chapter 5: We're Not Friends

**Thanks for joining me. And yes, I assume there are plenty of questions after how the last chapter ended. And no, Lea actually has her own series, starting with Keeps Gettin' Better. You can read it if you wish. But yeah, here comes the fun part.**

**Chapter VI: What the f-**

**Your POV:**

You stare at Raphael, and he's got that same cocky smirk on his face, the same one Sly has. You're glued to the ground for a moment, a million and three thoughts racing through your mind at once-and most of them are questions-until you stutter out again, "R-Raphael?"

"In the furry flesh."

You narrow your eyes. Of course, he picks now to joke around. But still-it's him! Him! Then again, you don't know how surprised you should be. Going from this world back to the other seems to be unpredictable. "What are you doing with Octavio?" You demand.

He looks somewhat offended. "What are you doing with a band of thieves?" You narrow your eyes.

"Why are you a Rottweiler?"

"Why are you a rat?"

"I'm not a fucking rat." You said that a little louder than you should have. "Why does everyone keep saying that? I'm a mouse-a dormouse, to be specific." You turn your head and Sly and Bentley are staring at you with very wide eyes. Raphael's staring at you with narrowed eyes. Well, you do have a good bit of explaining to do. So, Raphael knows you're with a band of thieves, and you know he's working for Octavio. You purse your lips. "Sly, Bentley, this is Raphael. He's…an old friend of mine."

"I saw you not even a month ago." Raphael says, turning you towards him by the shoulder. "I really don't think that makes me an 'old friend.'" You shrug, getting very uncomfortable with all the eyes on you, and Raphael presses, "I asked you what you're doing with the thieves."

You tilt your head up and answer, "I'm one of them. One of them is my boyfriend." You feel a hand on your lower back and you look up to see Sly next to you. "This is Sly. And the turtle is Bentley." God, it feel so…weird. The B-word. Boyfriend. It feels so odd, calling him that after…well, ages when you couldn't. When you separated from him. But that's what Sly is. He's your boyfriend.

Raphael looks from you, to Bentley, and then to Sly. "Aren't there supposed to be three of you?"

You bite your lip and nod. Raphael looks like he's about to speak, but you cut him off. "It's a hell of a long story." You sigh. "That part is a long story in itself." Just thinking about it makes you tired. You shake your head, trying to shake the bad memories out of it, and snap, "Answer my question: what are you doing with Octavio?"

"I'm undercover, for the cops."

You take a quick step back, dragging Sly by the arm and Bentley wheels himself back a bit. "You're…you're with the cops?"

He nodded. "I'm a new mercenary."

You bite your lip. You…don't know what to do. Raphael wouldn't sell you out to the cops…would he? Neyla did…but she wasn't your friend for ages and ages. But Raphael's still with the police…and…you can't let them go back to prison. You just can't. And you don't want yourself or Bentley to experience it first-hand.

So you grab a smoke pellet from your back pocket, throw it against the ground, and you run like hell's chasing after you. Bentley and Sly stay close and you hear the sounds of Raphael coughing and yelling after you.

_A few hours later…_

Sly's sleeping on the couch, with his head in your lap. You play with his hair, the small smile coming and going from your face as you think of the day's events. Raphael-your best friend-is with the police, working under Carmelita. Freaking _Carmelita_. God, you hate her. All she does is ruin everything. Now you can't even trust Raphael. What if he's just trying to set you up and get you sent back to prison? You can't let that happen again.

You groan, and rub your aching head.

"Tired?" Bentley asks, looking at you from across the room.

You nod. "Exhausted." Being a thief isn't easy. Well, no job's easy, and whenever the cops are around, your job's just that much harder. You kick your quiver that's lying at your feet. You feel bad for just ditching Raphael like that…and…he is your friend…as long as you put your career choices aside…so maybe…

"I'm going to bed." Bentley says, shutting his laptop and rolling himself away from the desk. You nod and heads down the hall. You hear the door close, and you look down at Sly, thinking about what you're about to do. This might hurt him. And it'll hurt Bentley and Murray too. And…it's really, really risky. But…damn this war with yourself.

You gently slid off the couch, careful not to wake Sly, and you leave your bow and arrow at home…or at the safehouse and you silently slip out the door, making sure to close it behind you.

You wander the streets, and the lamps are lit, so it's easy enough to see. "Raphael," You call. "Raphael." You look around, and you don't see any of Octavio's goons. "Raphael!" You yell, just a little louder.

"Cerlie, woman, keep your damn voice down."

You turn and you see Raphael standing there. "Raph," You say.

He glares at you, and he's dressed in usual clothes now, not Octavio's uniform. You bite your lip and shrink back like a turtle going into its shell. "The hell was that about?" He's talking about the earlier smoke-bomb incident.

"I'm sorry, Raphael. I had to get away, and I had to talk to you without Sly and Bentley. Because this way, they're safe." This way, they'll be far away from here and you're safe too, since the world doesn't know you're an internationally wanted criminal.

"So why are you with the thieves again?"

**Raphael's POV:**

So this is where she ended up? And she ends up with Cooper? You don't know whether or not you should be surprised by it. You always knew she had a dark side, and that she always had a thing for bad boys. But still, Cooper? You press the question again.

"They're like family to me. They were there when I found out the truth about my parents, and…" She's thinking about him. You can tell by that look in her eyes that Sly means everything to her. And you're…you're just her friend. "I can't leave them, and I won't. But I still had to talk to you."

You nod. "Right. Cerlie, are you sure you wanna do this? You don't have a record yet. You're still under the radar in the world."

She narrows her eyes. "I'm a grown goddamn woman, Raphael. I'm not a little girl. This is what I wanna do with my life."

You raise your hands up in defense. "I'm just saying. You're gonna get a bounty on your head if you go through with this."

"And you and I won't be able to be friends anymore if you stay with the cops-mercenary or not."

"Is this about Carmelita?" You ask. "Because I know how much she drives you nuts."

"She's into Sly. And he's mine."

…She's never gotten so possessive over a person. Sure, she's gotten…iffy with girls you've been with, but she's never acted like that.

"I see." You say.

**Your POV:**

"Raphael, if this is really how you feel about my life choices, then maybe we should just be enemies from now on."

His gaze hardens and he says, "Fine."

"Fine."

"You got ten seconds before I start shooting and call for backup."

You turn away and you run like hell for the second time that day, and you turn the corner and tuck into the sewer. You wait there, and you hear footsteps above the manhole, but Raphael doesn't think to open it. You head down the little paths they have in the sewers, and climb up the manhole near the safehouse.

You take a well-deserved long, very hot shower and try to get the smell off of you. After spending about thirty minutes under scalding water, you step out and change into clean clothes. You find Sly still sleeping in the couch, and you know you couldn't have been gone for more than two hours. They'll never know. You crawl back to the couch and gently lay yourself on top of Sly and pull a blanket over you and him.

**Oh, drama bomb! Yep, this is gonna be a fun story! And yeah, the sequel to this story won't be out until February when Sly 4 comes out, which means I can focus on my other stories in the meantime. And yeah, I know I haven't been updating a lot, but I've been really busy with school. So…I'm sorry.**

**See you (hopefully) soon!**

**~Mimi **


	7. Chapter 6: Jealousy Burns!

**Woo, new chapter for Life's Not A Fairytale! I would really like to have this story done before the year is over, which is why I'm updating now. Born To Be Brave…I need to get off my lazy ass and finish that. Because the new Ratchet and Clank game is already out, and I've already beaten it. So here's the last for the Octavio part.**

**Chapter VII: Jealousy burns!**

**Your POV:**

You feel awful about what you did. Really. You snuck out to see a cop-a mercenary cop, but still a cop. And a male cop. What would Sly say-or more importantly think-if he found out? You just hope that Raphael will keep a secret-Sly's already risked plenty to even get your into the gang in the first place. And he trusts you. Really trusts you. You don't think you'd be able to take it if you broke his heart or did anything to hurt him. Sly seems cocky and confident, but…he's actually pretty lonely. He misses his family, his parents.

The people who raised you may not have been your adoptive parents, but at least you had parents. You even had a sibling, and even now, you don't know how you feel or how you should feel about her…death.

There it is again.

That little pang of hurt in your heart.

Every time you think of Arianna, your heart lurches in your chest. Her death has been sitting there in the back of your mind, and every time that you're alone-all alone, as in, without Sly, Bentley, or Murray-she's all you can think about.

Which is why you try to not be alone.

Hm. Maybe she's thinking about you, like you're thinking about her. You feel like somebody's thinking about you somewhere. Or maybe that's Raphael. Ugh, he's such a dickhead. God, you're so mad at him! He's gonna turn into Carmelita, and then…well, you don't know what's gonna happen, but you know that things are gonna get really ugly, really fast. You just hope that everything's gonna be okay in the end.

…

Okay, so…Octavio's behind bars, or…_at least he will be_, you think to yourself as you see Carmelita sitting on top of him sipping coffee. A few feet away from her you see Raphael. You're standing up there on a roof with Sly, and Raphael is looking up at you. You're waiting for him to get Carmelita's attention, but he just glares at you. "What he's looking at?" Sly asks.

"He doesn't like you."

Sly chuckles. "No, really? Never would've guessed."

You give Raphael the "middle finger", and he gives a snarl-big enough to get the message across, but not too big where Carmelita would ask what was wrong. You and Sly take off, and head back towards the safehouse. You need to pack up, and then head out for your next mission. But for now, you just chill and relax.

You toss your quiver onto a shelf and the arrows spell out on the surface slightly. You place your bow nearby on the ground. "Your archery skills are getting better." Bentley says, typing away at his computer.

You smirk. "Damn right they are."

"So…what's the deal with you and that other guy?" Murray asks.

Oh yeah. Murray. He's back! The Murray is back! No more brainwashing, none of that crap! He's the violent, ill-tempered Murray again! The big guy (with an even bigger heart) was the first to really welcome you into the gang. Sly was…relatively easy to win over, and…while, you and Bentley certainly still don't see eye-to-eye…it's a lot easier than it used to be. And honestly? They're the best part of the job.

"Meh, don't worry about him. He's a dickhead." You smile, sitting down next to him to play some video games. Man, you missed Murray. Not as much as you missed Sly, but you really missed Murray too. He's like the little brother you always wanted-even though he's several times your size and…a different species. Bentley's like the smart older brother that you also wanted. Bentley's the sibling that can be an asshole about certain things, but he only does what he does because he cares and he means well.

Sly shrugs. "He was giving you the eye."

You grin. "Eye? What eye? As in a dirty look? Or the look guys give girls when they wanna do something dirty?"

"A little of both." There's something about that tone…the way he says it…oh, he's jealous! Sly Cooper! Jealous! Sly's cool and very attractive and you've never seen him jealous in your entire life! Oh wow! Then again, it's not like Sly's had a lot of competition for your affections. It's actually been the other way around. You usually have to beat the other girls off with a stick-one or twice, that's turned literal. Yes, whenever you go to a new place and Sly's in disguise for a job, girls definitely notice.

And it does not make you happy.

"Oh Sly, don't worry," You laugh. "He's a cop. And I always did prefer the bad boys." Sly gives a small smile and you hear Bentley shout,

"Get a room!"

…

You wake up the next morning (yeah, the whole "being awake during the day" thing has been pretty hard on your system), and since everyone else is still asleep, you decide to go ahead and make breakfast. Murray's favorite sunny-side up eggs, Bentley's little fish thingy he likes, and Sly's omelet. You just make a lot of bacon for yourself. You hear footsteps, and then you feel Sly's arms around your waist. "Hey honey," You can feel his smile against your neck. "Wow, you're cooking breakfast? You must be in a cheerful mood."

Truth is, you feel kind of guilty. And…maybe now's a good time to tell him what happened. While everyone else is sleeping. "Sly," You say seriously. "I need to tell you something."

He backs off and he stares at you, blinks twice, and then he gets that serious face he has-not a frown, but he looks a bit sterner now. "Okay. What's up?"

You sigh. "Sly, I'm really, really, really sorry, but I…I went to see Raphael the other night. When you guys were sleeping."

"…_What_?"

"Sly, it's not what you think."

"You _snuck out_ to see _another guy_ that you've known longer than you've known _me_. You try and tell me that _it's not what I think_."

He's right. But you still look him in the eye. His eyes, usually warm and bright and brown, he…he looks hurt. Betrayed. And definitely a bit angry. "I know you're mad. But Sly, I had to find out what he was doing here-and why he was a cop. He was my friend Sly. And I knew him for a really long time. What if it was Bentley?" His expressions soften a bit. "I promise, Raphael and I are enemies now. He tried to convince me to stop being a thief, and I…basically, I told him to piss off." Sly smirks, and you smile back. "And I promise, I'm never gonna do it again. And the only reason I went alone is so he couldn't get you guys in trouble."

Sly breathes. "Okay."

"You're not mad?"

"No. I still wish you hadn't done it because you could've gotten hurt, and you're making breakfast for the rest of the week, and…we do have to tell Bentley and Murray."

You sigh and nod. "Yeah. Bentley's not gonna take it too well."

"Take what too well?" You turn your head and mutter, "Shit." Because a certain turtle just wheeled himself into the kitchen.

…

"You _what_!?"

Yeah. You explained everything to him, and to Murray after he walked into the kitchen when he smelled food from his bedroom. And-just like you said-Bentley is not taking it well.

"Bentley-" You start.

"No-don't 'Bentley' me! You saw a cop! You could've gotten hurt! Or could've called for backup and followed you back to the safehouse! You could've gotten us all thrown back in prison!"

"Bentley." You snap. "Just listen to me. I've known Raphael for a long time, and I know he's not gonna do anything to hurt you guys. He's not even a real cop. He's gonna come after me. I never would've gone out if I had thought he'd do something like that."

Bentley is silent for a minute. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'm not here to get you guys thrown back in prison."

Bentley wheels himself out of the room after another minute of silence. You sigh. "He still doesn't trust me. All this, and he doesn't trust me."

"I'll go talk to him." Sly says, exiting the room.

"Cheer up Cerlie," Murray pats you on the back lightly. "He was really just worried about your safety, that's all. He probably just feels bad 'cause he didn't catch you. He trusts you, really, he does!"

You smile. "Thanks, Murray."

**There you go! Another update! I'm on fire! This story…I hoped to have it finished before the new year. I hope to. I'll probably update a lot next week.**

**See you soon!**

**~Mimi**


	8. Chapter 7: Fight! Fight! Fight!

**Here's another chapter of Life's Not A Fairytale! Happy Christmas Break everybody! I got to sleep in today! No obnoxious alarm! And yes, there's gonna be a sequel series to the Hearts Connected Series. The Hearts Connected series includes Keeps Gettin' Better, Wonderland, Born This Way, Evil Angel, Prince$$ Ivy (Angel of Darkness), and the cross-overs, For The First Time (takes place during PlayStation Move Heroes), You And Me And All Of The People (takes place during PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale), and A Moment of Change (totally original fic). **

**Chapter VIII: Fight! Fight! Fight!**

**Your POV:**

Murray…really didn't feel comfortable returning to the gang without first clearing it with his Guru. And because you would do anything for him, you guys packed up, put on your disguises, and flew to Australia. And Murray told story after story after story about his Guru and his magical abilities. He could change his form and take control of the weak-minded. "Sounds like a good addition to the gang." Sly said. You nodded. You're…rather uneasy about adding new people to the gang, but…you were new too once. And besides, this Guru knows Murray, and Murray knows him. So it shouldn't be a problem.

However…when you got to Australia, things had…changed. Miners were tearing up the landscape-looking for something. And Murray's Guru was nowhere to be found.

Good thing it wasn't long before you did find him. The miners had imprisoned him, and took away his gear-his walking staff and his moonstone. Sly's gonna get it back, because he hasn't shown you the Thievius Raccoonus yet. And that's okay. You know exactly what Sly went through to get that back. And what it means to him-that's his whole family legacy right there! All in one little book. And you'd never ever ask to see it. And you wouldn't mess with it. Hell, you wouldn't even look at it or breathe in its general direction.

Oh, and the Guru wants to judge your "spiritual center."

…

"Mr. Guru…person?" You ask, walking up to the cage…pen…thing. "Bentley said you wanted to see me?"

The Guru speaks in a weird language, but you do…kinda understand. "_Yes, child."_

"Um…okay…" You say. Even though you're not a child. "You want to…judge me as a person?"

"_Your spiritual center. Hmmm…there is much turmoil in your life. Two men, and two women…and a third character in there…and there's someone you want to protect. Now I see. There's your lover, and your enemies." _He means Sly, Raphael, and Carmelita. _"The third character…he is someone you have a fragile bond with…_" Bentley. "_And there is also Murray._"

You smile. "He's like the little brother I always wanted-but wait-you said there were two women. I can only think of Carmelita." You bite your lip, mildly afraid of the answer.

"_Yes, there is another. Someone you called your blood-relation. And someone who is now dead._"

"My sister. Arianna. We were…um…" You tug on your hair. "We were both adopted."

The Guru nods. "_Do not worry, my child. It will all be clear to you one day._"

You nod. "Thank you, Guru."

…

You leave the Guru, and you use your arrows and a rope to slide down to the ground, and then, you first head back to the safehouse, when…something bright and orange catches your eye. You turn, and you see a head of blue hair. It's Carmelita! Jesus, how she'd know you'd be here? …Did Raphael tip her off? That bastard, he must have! Well, you're certainly gonna make him pay later. Right now, you need to deal with Carmelita.

"Hey, you," You call.

Carmelita turns and aims her shock pistol at you. "You," She growls.

"Cerlie." You grin. You load your bow. "Daughter of the Russian mafia, and Sly's current girlfriend. And you're Carmelita Fox-Sly's _ex_-girlfriend." She snarls lightly, and God, do you love rubbing salt in the wounds.

"We never dated." She corrects.

"But you wanted to." You're so gonna pay for this later, but it's so worth it. Now, question is, how are you gonna get out of this? You can't risk leading her back to the gang, but she can't arrest you. "You know what the best part of this is? You can't arrest me. Because as far as the cops know, I don't even exist. And your word isn't gonna be enough. Especially since you let the Cooper gang get away so many times in the past. If I'm right, you're on very thin ice with Interpol. Can't give them 'false' information."

"I hate you."

"The feeling is mutual!" You laugh. She fires, and you start running, laughing your fucking head off.

You crawl in through a tunnel once you round a corner, and you watch her feet. And then you hear her walk away, cursing to herself. You don't care what punishment comes after this-screw karma, that was so totally worth it!

…

You head back to the safehouse, though you walk around the site a few times, taking twists and turns to make sure you're not being followed, and then you enter the house, and you realize…you're tired. The plane trip here was exhausting, and then you did all that walking and running away from Carmelita. You're genuinely tired.

You collapse on the couch, and…the Guru's words are swirling around in your mind. All these people-their ties to you. You've gotten yourself in deep. Now…now you realize…your life can never go back to the way it was. No more school, or parents, or…anything to worry about except the cops and getting caught. You can't believe you never thought of any of this before. And it has struck you like lightning. Your life…this is your life now. As an internationally wanted criminal. As a dormouse. As…technically, an orphan.

You're thinking about your family-not about your adoptive one, your real one. You wonder…what were your parents like? Were they good? Or evil? You know, you should've known you and Sly were gonna be together when you found out that Clockwerk murdered your parents and his. The Noukhayevs were friends to the Coopers-and now…the two families might actually become one.

The Guru said one day this was all going to make sense to you. Can he tell the future? If so, you're gonna have to ask him the next day time you see him. What day will it all make sense? How far away is it? And…is there something important-something that's gonna alter your life forever one more time-something that you don't know about? If so…

What is it?

**Yeah, here's another bit for this. There's like…a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter. I mean, a lot. A lot, a lot. A Moment of Change is hinted here.**

**Well, I hope to have this finished soon! See you next time!**

**~Mimi**


	9. Chapter 8: Ancestors

**Okay. So…for the long wait, I have something…special for all of you.**

**ENJOY, BITCHES.**

**Era: Feudal Japan**

**?'s POV:**

You walk along the stone path-which is seriously just made out of smoothed-down stones with water lightly splashing through the cracks. You head up to Rio's sushi shop, for lunch, and to see him. You've been…away for a few weeks, and you want to check in on his shop and his little "side business." You've been partners for ages-years, actually. You met him when you were trying to sabotage a general who didn't have respect for women. So, you put some errors in his money, and while you were trying to get a hold of some papers in his palace, you literally bumped into Rioichi, who was after some artifact the general had taken. And you became partners. This way, every enemy you made was taken down in more than one way.

You flick the water off of your tail, and turn the last corner. It's just before opening, and already, there are a couple of people lined up. You head in through the back, and you see Rio behind the counter, preparing the fish and wasabi. "Dohbreyah ootrah." You smile. Rio looks up and nods and says "good morning" in Japanese back. His accent is thick, just like your accent. Of course, you don't speak too much Japanese-just enough to get by-but he doesn't speak any Russian. So ha. Rio's pretty…well, stone-faced most of the time, but you know he cares. And…he has been through a lot.

"Svetlana," He calls. "Toss me that knife." You nod and throw it over to him, and he catches it with ease.

You smile. "So how's your morning, Rio?"

He nods. "Fine."

"Noukhayev-chan," The sound of your last name rings out, and that little flirty guy, Santiago, comes over. He's not too bad of a guy; very friendly, very charismatic, just…well…his manners could use a little improvement. Oh. And Rio hates him. He doesn't like him talking to you. You can hear Rio's knife hitting the cutting board a little harder. From that, and the way his eyes are narrowed, you can tell he's getting angry. Not that he'll ever show it or say it, of course.

"Konichiwa, Santiago-san," You smile. "How are you?"

**Era: 1880s, Old West**

**?'s POV:**

Damn, it's hot out! Must be over 100 degrees. You're in your room, fanning yourself. You're gonna start looking for Tennessee soon. He's probably out doing something he shouldn't be. Man, you've been here too long. Your accent is gettin' to be almost as thick as Tennessee's! Well…you guess 10 years is a long time to develop an accent. You and Tennessee have been "partners in crime" for a long, long time. Of course, that's about to end. You've kept yourself a secret-helping your friend in the shadows-but…you're getting married soon. And Jonathan Wiseturtle has a lot of money. In these parts, and in any part of the world, women can't do much. But with John-you're gonna be set for life. It's…gonna be great. Yeah. You know it will be. Of course, he plans on leaving town-John, you mean. Which means you'll be leaving with him. He…doesn't like all the theft that's been committed here. He doesn't even know you've been a part of that theft. John loves you for your looks-the curly blonde locks, the beauty below the right eye-you're a regular Southern Belle. And your family's not doing too bad as far as money goes either.

Speak of the devil, and he will appear. Tennessee pops in through your window. "Hey doll." He smiles. He climbs into your room, silently so your parents don't hear, and stares at your wedding dress, hanging up in your closet. "Looks perty." He says, with a sad smile. He says it…almost mournfully.

"I'm sorry Tennessee." You say, touching his shoulder. "I'm gonna miss you. But there's not much else I can do. I'm just a woman."

He expression turns stern. "You ain't just a woman-you're the damn feistiest, smartest gal I ever met in my life. You avoided blowing your cover and spent the last decade of your life helping me out. And you're only 24." He growls. "Damn it, Cas-you shouldn't be marryin' that guy. You outta marry somebody ya really love. Somebody who loves ya for more than ya looks."

You tighten your grip on his shoulder. "I'm sorry Tennessee. But I'm doing this for my family."

"That's a croc of shit, Cassie, and you know it."

You remove your hand from his shoulder, and snap, "Why are you acting like this? Every time we talk about the wedding, you start getting like this."

You…you're getting married because of Tennessee. You don't want to marry John, but…Tennessee doesn't love you-not the way you love him. And you can't spend the rest of your life chasing after a guy that just doesn't feel the same way about you. So you're getting married. And leaving town.

You just can't stand to look at his face every single day, especially when all you want to do is run your fingers through his fur.

And…

You're pregnant.

**Era: Prehistoric**

**?'s POV:**

Oh, you can't wait to eat! Eggs make the best meal. And it's almost time for dinner! You've been hunting for animals with the other females and males of your tribe, and _'s out collecting eggs. It's going to be an amazing feast! Eggs and meat. Eggs, eggs, eggs. You carry the hunk of meat you found with the others back to your tribe's campsite, and everyone's soon talking and laughing and telling stories. You sit next to _, and he passes you an egg, and you pass him some meat.

You…like him. Like, really like him. Maybe…you'll ask him to be mates? He's so…sweet and friendly. And he's so kind and considerate and he works so hard to provide for the tribe. He'd make a wonderful mate! But…what if he doesn't like you back? You've known each other your whole lives, and you've been hunting buddies since you were teenagers, and you went through so much together-but what if he only loves you as family?

**Era: Medieval England**

**?'s POV:**

You fast-walk through the halls of your castle, and damn dresses-gowns, dresses, whatever the bloody hell they're called, damn them all! It's so hard to move with all the lace, and the train getting tangled around your ankles. You were born into a family of nobility, so from the time you were born to the time that you die, it's always been dresses, tall hairdos, and pinchy shoes. And you mean really tall hairdos. Your hair is about five feet above your head. And full of pearls.

You need to find Galleth. Your father wants to see him.

Oh, Galleth. He's so…so…well, he's headstrong. And brave and courageous and…well, he is a goof. But he makes you laugh. You're the one that crowned him a "sir" a few years ago. It was when you met him. He really is the perfect knight. He puts women on a pedestal and everything. Chivalrous.

"Sir Galleth," You call, spotting him down the hall, patrolling with his fellow knights.

"Lady Elizabeth," He smiles and gives a low bow. "Good marrow to you, fair lady. How can I be of assistance?"

You smile. "I could use someone to watch my archery practice." It really is your favorite hobby. Now, whenever the castle is under attack, you can fire arrows with your mother and the other women in the castle. It's a mandatory skill, along with reading and writing so as being to understand and follow written orders.

He nods. "Very well, M'lady. I shall join you in the courtyard very shortly."

**Era: Saudi Arabia**

**?'s POV:**

You're getting too old for this. Most of the other forty thieves have already retired. It's just you, Salim, and the other three stooges. Oh, Salim. You remember what it was like when you were young. He was such a ladies' man. Muscles, cunning, charm, good looks, the whole package. You can't remember all the times that you had to yank him away from harem women in a palace to avoid blowing your cover. And you were quite the woman too-still are! Only, you're not bound by the laws of society other women are. You're free to go wherever you want to do, and do as you please. It's the best career you could've hoped for. But…you're getting old. You can't move the way you used to be able to. It is time to retire, like all the others. And Salim has turned into quite the cranky old man.

Speaking of which, where is that ol' devil rat?

**Era: Modern Day Paris**

**Your POV:**

After you got back to Paris, after leaving Australia (which was quite the long story, involving the mask of dark earth and that bitch Carmelita), you returned to Paris. With the Guru. And his amazing mental abilities-well, not in Bentley's kind of mental abilities-but yeah. So…got a brand new newbie. It's awesome. Now you're not the only one. While the others chat with the Guru, you sneak out onto the roof.

It's dark. And without any city lights, the sky is bright and lit up with stars. It's like seeing a million shards of diamonds.

And you hear footsteps along the creaky steps. And you already know who it is. "Hey Sly," You smile as he sits down next to you on the edge of the rocky cliff you're sitting on. "What's up?" You ask.

He shakes his head. "Nothing." He says. "I just wanna talk." You don't say anything, and just rest your head on his shoulder. "Hey Cerlie, you okay? You've been kinda…distant lately." Well, you have had a lot on your mind. Arianna, your adoptive parents, your real parents, and last night…you dreamt of how you discovered that your family has ties to the Cooper family. You thought about Clockwerk. And how weird it is-you went from hating this series, to being a part of it-well, you were always a part of it, and you still haven't worked out all the kinks yet. Like how you got to that other universe in the first place. And if Raphael is here, then what happened to Patrick and Michael? You're…worried. God, they have to be asking so many questions.

Well, at least you can't say that your life is boring.

"I was…thinking…about Clockwerk last night." You feel him tense a bit. You knew that would strike a nerve. Clockwerk murdered his parents. He murdered your parents. "And about all the things he did-and what we had to do to stop him. I'm just thinking about how crazy our lives are. And…" You pause. Because this has definitely been in the back of your mind.

"…And?"

"We're not related, are we?"

"…What."

"It's possible! Bentley said our families have been working together for ages, and well…what if there's a marriage or a kid in there in somewhere?"

"…We should ask Bentley."

…

"So Bentley, what have you found?" You ask, eating the Italian takeout you ordered. "Anything…important?"

Typing away like a machine on his computer, his eyes scan the screen. It's a bunch of marriage certificates-to make sure that there's no "Cooper and Noukhayev" one in there somewhere. There's a bunch of files on there too-just old records of your family and Sly's. "Nope. Well, a lot of it is interesting, definitely-but so far, no marriage records. Oh, Rioichi's mother was the Cooper-makes sense, since the Japanese always take the woman's name-oh, and he was close friends with your ancestor, Svetlana Noukhayev through most of their lives."

Right-Sly's ancestor, from the Thievius Raccoonus. His Japanese ancestor-wait, does that mean you're Japanese somewhere in your bloodline too? "So what, did Svetlana like…immigrant there?" Bentley nods, and continues looking through the records. "Wow. So is my bloodline all Russian, or is it…mixed?"

"Mixed." He says. "You had an English ancestor-a noble one. Lady Elizabeth Noukhayev-close friend of Sir Galleth Cooper. And your ancestor, Alimah A-Noukhayev from Saudi Arabia." Great. Your blood comes from Saudi Arabia, the one country that won't let women drive. "Oh, hey, she was a member of the Forty Thieves, look at that." Well. Not what you were expecting. A member of the Forty Thieves. That's cool.

"Anyone else?"

"Yes-your Old West ancestor-Cassandra Noukhayev."

Well, you got your own set of ancestors! That's awesome! Wow. You're more involved with video games than you thought. This is wild. You wonder what they were like-but hey. You and Sly are not related. Totally separated families. Good, 'cause then it'd be incest. And…yeah. Don't want to thin out the bloodline. But…

Truth be told, it is kinda weird for the families to have known each other for that long and they haven't been united before. It's…strange.

**So yeah. Lots of foreshadowing for Lost Inside the Forest. YES. EVERYONE will have ancestors.**

**By the way, Raphael's last name is Santiago. So there's that. I bet you guys can't wait for the sequel.**

**By the way-a Cooper/Noukhayev relationship never ends well. One in particular.**

**See you soon!**

**~Mimi Sweet**


	10. Chapter 9: Future

**Okay, here's the next chapter of Life's Not A Fairytale. YAY FOR TENSIONS! God, I need to finish this story, and get on with the next one-however, the next one won't be up until Born To Be Brave and Keeps Gettin' Better are finished, and the crossover story, For the First Time, is complete as well.**

**Chapter X: TENSIONS.**

**Your POV:**

After Bentley took a closer at the blueprints to Dr. M's fortress, he found there was no way inside until you added a dedicated RC expert to the gang. So, he spent the next few weeks "researching" tech chat rooms until he found somebody. A girl named Penelope. So, he sent her an invite to the gang, only to get turned down, 'cause she only works for "the best", as her, her boss-the Black Baron. She and the Baron are both really into airplanes, and really talented flyers. He created this international competition for flying called ACES, to attract opponents from around the world. So, if the gang beats her boss, then maybe she'll consider.

"So, we're off to Holland."

What. The. Fuck.

"_Holland_?" You question. "We can't just find somebody else? Look, she only works for 'the best', and there's bound to be somebody better than her, and she sounds like a stuck-up bitch to me."

"You okay, Cerlie?" Sly asks.

"Fine." You reply.

"Cerlie, I looked, a lot, and there really is no one better than her. She's been trained, she's got papers and diplomas and certificates and everything. There is no one better than her." He says firmly.

"Whatever." You snap. "I'm going outside. I need some air."

You exit, and slam the door behind you. You hear the Guru's gibberish, and then Murray speaks, and then Bentley, and then Sly, and as you get closer to the roof, their voices start to fade. You climb up the pipe, and seat yourself onto the edge of the roof. You bring your legs to your chest and wrap your arms around them. You take a deep breath. The Parisian air feels great in your lungs. The air smells like…well, like Paris-the city smell, a mix of people, cheese, and wine. It tells you that you're home. And truly, nothing is more comforting than the sight of the Eiffel Tower.

"Cerlie?" You turn your head, and there's Sly. He climbs up and sits down next to you. "Cerlie, dollface, you okay?"

You sigh, and respond. "No."

"What's wrong?"

"Bentley." You growl, releasing your legs and lying them flat in front of you. "He didn't want me anywhere near you guys when I first met you. He wanted me gone. And now, he still doesn't totally trust me, does he?" The lack of response and the edgy look in his eye is the answer to the question. No, he doesn't. You can hear Sly's voice say it. "But this girl-this girl we've never even seen in person is totally okay. He's jumping through hoops to get her into the gang! And…and…"

"And?"

"Sly, it's a _girl_. Remember that the last girl we associated ourselves with got you and Murray landed in prison? The Contessa brainwashed Murray, and almost got to you. And God, Bentley and I were at each other's throats." Those are awful memories. Murray was the first to really welcome you into the gang-he was the friendly one, the nice, who would've never laid a hand on anyone if he didn't have to. He's like a little kid. And Sly…the thought of Sly being brainwashed into somebody who's not Sly is-it's awful to think about. You don't want to lose your smug, arrogant, but-can-be-sweet-bastard.

"And that's why you're upset."

"Yes. It's infuriating. Frustrating. I want Bentley to trust me, but he simply refuses to." He pats your back and keeps his arm around your waist. At least you have him. You'll always have him. You breathe again, only you pick up on his scent. "You smell like Axe." You point out.

You feel the vibration of his laugh. "You went from talking about Bentley and his trust issues and this new girl and your trust issues to me smelling like Axe?"

"But you do." You say in your defense. "I like it." You sigh. "But yeah. I don't know what else I can do to get him to trust him-I'm not trying to upset you," You pause to explain that. He's known Bentley a lot longer than he's known you. "I know how much Bentley means to you, but I think he just hates me."

"Bentley does not hate you."

"Right-he just doesn't trust me." And you're not sure if that's better or worse.

"I think he does, actually," Sly says, moving himself and sitting across from you. You crossed your legs and listen to what he has to say. "I think he just feels guilty about before; I don't know what it was like when Murray and I were gone, but I can imagine it probably wasn't fun."

That it wasn't; it wasn't even just the issues between you and Bentley-Sly and Murray were gone, in prison, Neyla had betrayed you, you were an emotional wreck because of that, Bentley wasn't doing much better, and then there was the issue of the Clockwerk parts, and yeah, the trust problems between you and Bentley-mix all of those chemicals together, and you get a hell of a reaction. And-you'll probably never admit this to anyone, but you were missing Sly like crazy. A lot of stress.

"Cindy, come on," Oh, that nickname-Cindy, from Cinderella. "I know that you're a little…cautious…about this, but just give her a chance-we gave you one." You nod. Yeah, he's right. "And from the looks of it, Bentley's right-she really is the best of the best."

You sigh, defeated. "Alright. I'll go along with this."

…

So now, you're on a flight to Holland, with Sly, Bentley, Murray, and the Guru. You've never been to Holland before-but hey, first time for everything. Sly quickly got his pilot's license the fastest way possible-by stealing it, obviously-and Murray and Bentley quickly put a plane together. You and Bentley haven't spoken to each other in the past couple of days-still pretty pissed at each other. You won't even make eye contact; maybe you'll apologize once you get to the hotel.

It's not too long of a flight, but you find yourself missing Paris pretty quickly. It's your home now. You flinch every time you notice the skyline doesn't have the Eiffel Tower-which means it's not the Parisian skyline. You sigh, and rest your head on Sly's shoulder. You're homesick. Already. You also keep your eyes on the Guru. What he said before-his words are playing over and over again in your head, like an MP3 left on repeat. And you're worried for your future.

You're absolutely terrified about what's going to happen. What about this Penelope? What future do you and Sly have? And when the hell are you and Bentley gonna be done with this keep-yourself-at-arms-distance-at-all-times bullshit?

You're tired. You take a deep breath, and work to wrap your tail around yourself, and then you nod off to sleep until you're rudely awaken by Sly telling you that the plane's about to land.

**Yay, update! And what about those Sly 5 rumors, huh? Fall 2014, bitches. Just be patient, my darlings.**

**See you soon!**

**(Probably not.)**

**~Mimi**


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